Family and Friends

Please excuse any scatter brained ideas as I presume I had one too many glasses of wine last night.

The holidays are slowly coming to a close, although for whatever reason, I haven't felt like they were here. Of course with 2 Christmas trees, packages galore, a 20 pound turkey, and holly hanging with our staircase, it's difficult to say that it doesn't look like Christmas.

Yesterday, my brother and I rolled out of bed sometime sub 11 am. My parents had been up for hours making stuffing and getting our gigantic turkey ready for the oven. We opened presents as a family, which is always fun because we concentrate more on the laughter than the actual gifts. However, I scored big with the capri length hot chilly's I got dad for Christmas. My brother's gift to each of us may have been the best yet, a picture of him, at 23 years and 6'3", in a red shirt and Santa hat, sitting on the "real" Santa's lap. PRICELESS! Next, we cleaned up and made breakfast as a family. Dad manned the bacon, I made pancakes, mom picked up the wrapping paper, and my brother shuffled bags downstairs to the garbage. Great group effort! For a quick second, my brother and I argued over who would peel potatoes and who would cut green beans, but the time ended up being about even, so I suppose it didn't matter. I must admit, it was fun working together. Specifically entertaining to watch my brother inspect the green beans and trash the ones that HE wouldn't eat.

Dinner was at an early hour of 4. We had a friend's family of three join us and my straggling friend AA. Invitations were accepted by a few other friends, but at the last minute, they decided not to join us, which was a bit rude in my opinion, but it still worked out well. After dinner, with beer and wine in hand (depending on the individual), the younger generation took to the pool table for what became multiple games. Definitely a grand time! Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas with family and friends! Next up, NYE, for which I haven't currently solidified plans.

Also on the horizon, Darden interview, for which I need to start preparing. Lately, I have been on the lazy side - both for grad school as well as the gym. Granted, the gym is because of my unrelenting injuries. Conversely, I need to focus on this interview because it would be nice to respond with an "I've been accepted..." when someone asks which grad school I will attend. People seem so surprised when you indicate how long the process is. Furthermore, I fly out to DC on Jan 4th and highly doubt I will get any work done in DC. Thus, I have about a week to prepare with NYE and a weekend in the mix...